“The first step of repentance is telling the truth about the state of our lives.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – February 16, 2023
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9, ESV
Where are you? At first glance, this is a curious question for the Lord God to pose to Adam. Surely, the creator and sustainer of all is fully aware of the man’s location and does not need Adam to reveal it to him! In truth, it is a question asked, not for the Lord’s sake, but for Adam’s. In posing it, it is an invitation into a life of honest self-reflection, for him to see himself as he truly is and what he has become. Perhaps it could also be phrased as who are you?
However, where invites a specific kind of self-reflection, asking a question of identity, not as isolated individuals, but identity in relation to another. Where are you in relation to me?, God asks. Are you near and abiding in the perfect communion of my love, or has your own act of self-sufficient rebellion led you into a place of secrecy and shame?
Though posed to Adam in Genesis 3, this is a question the Lord asks to each and every one of us: where are you?
The first step of repentance is telling the truth about the state of our lives. We answer our Lord’s question with brutal honesty. It does us no good to say where we think we are or wish we were. Where are you, right here and right now? Are you filled with doubt and fear? Has apathy toward the things of God crept into your soul, leading you to neglect a consistent life of prayer and study? Has shame over past sins left you downcast and feeling rejected?
To acknowledge the brokenness within is not a resignation to sin forever ruling and reigning over our lives. Far from it! In fact, we answer honestly, not only about our current state, but tell ourselves the truth of the Lord’s power to bring life where there is death and to free those held in bondage.
Do not close your ears to the word of the Lord spoken in the garden. He seeks you out, not for your shame or judgment, but for you to return to him in humility and repentance, finding once again your true home and place of rest.
Prayer
Father, teach us to hear your voice and respond in repentance and trust, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
Reflect deeply upon this question today: where are you?
Related Reading
Matthew 4:17; Acts 3:19; 2 Peter 3:9
Worship Resource
Matt Maher: Garden
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